Do you know what hidden exercise is and what it is for?

According to Fuster (2010: pp. 233), hidden exercise is what lies behind our daily tasks and is of particular importance when it comes to remaining healthy. To give some examples, hidden exercise could be walking to and from the shops, going up and down any stairs we might find on our way, avoiding the use of lifts or escalators, cleaning the house, going for a walk with family or friends, walking to work … these are activities that could burn up to 350 calories, the same as swimming for 40 minutes, for example.

So, hidden exercise is an essential part of living what we call an active life, regardless of any sport, gym or any of the more directed activities that we do. It is in this sense that too much importance is often given to the directed activity or sport we do, when basically the key is our lifestyle[1]. If this is sedentary, we will find it difficult to achieve the right level just by going to the gym two or three days a week; it is very important for our health to maintain an active lifestyle through the hidden passive exercise to be found in our daily tasks and activities.

Adrià, F., Fuster, V., Corbella, J. (2010). La cocina de la salud (Healthy Cooking, in Spanish). Barcelona. Planeta.

Moreno, F. (2003). Promoción de estilos de vida saludables a través de la actividad físico-deportiva (Promoting healthy lifestyles through physical and sporting activity, in Spanish). REEFD.

[1] Lifestyle is defined as a general way of living based on the interaction between living conditions and individual patterns of behaviour (Moreno, 2003)

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